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J. E'. WAKEFIELD. Folding flhair and Settee.

No. 225,951 Patented Mar; 30,1880,

WTNESSES l'NvENTo .gw/ WM NJETERS, PHOTO-UTHDGRAPHER. WASHINGTON. D. C

lJNirED JOHN E. WAKEFIELD, OF WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO EDWARD W. VAILL, OF SAME PLACE.

FOLDING CHAIR AND SETTEE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 225,957, dated March 30, 1880.

Application filed May 12, 1879.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN E. WAKEFIELD, of Worcester, in the State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Folding Chairs or Settees, of which the following is a specification.

In this chair or settee there are folding X- legs and folding arms, and rigid seat and back, and to that extent are similar to a folding chair or settee made by George W. Chamberlin, and I disclaim such features of invention.

I have improved upon the same by hinging the seat at the front to the upper ends of the back legs, and connecting the back and seat together by links in such a manner that when the back of the chair is raised the links and lower edge of the chair'back swing forwardly, and the seat is disconnected at the back from the legs, and the whole can be folded downwardly as the X-legs spread apart at the bottom. The seat and back remain connected by the links, and the reverse movements unfold the chair ready for use, and the links that connect the back and seat render the whole chair or settee rigid and not liable to partially fold in the ordinary circumstances of use.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is an elevation of the chair or settee ready for use. Fig. 2 is a vertical crosssection of the same, and Fig. 3 is a section partially folded.

The )(-legs a b are united at d, and there are lower rails, c c, and upper rails, h it.

The seat a is hinged to the front upper rail, h, and has hooks Z, that pass over and behind the back rail, k, to prevent the legs spreading.

The arms f are united at their lower ends by the rail h, and the braces m are united to the rail k, and at their upper ends to the middle portions of the arms f. The upper ends of the braces m extend above the arms f and form arm-rests n.

The back '0 is pivoted at 0 to the rear ends of the armsf, and its lower edge rests on or nearly touches the seat n, and the links 1' are used to unite the bottom part of the back to the rear portion of the seat, the ends of such links having screws or pins passing through them and forming pivots on which the parts swing. These links are preferably of L shape, so as to correspond to the back and seat at their junction.

This chair or settee is very firm when unfolded for use, as in Fig. 2, and I remark that if a hook and eye, or equivalent device, is employed for hooking the back edge of the seat or the cross-rail is to the lower edge of the back 22 the settee cannot be folded until the hook is unhooked from the eye, and in place of the hook 1 upon the seat n, the rail 75 may be stopped and held in its proper relation to the seat by any suitable device.

When the back of the seat is lifted bodily the arms f and braces on act to draw the X- legs toward each other at the top, unhooking the rail [6 from the hooks I. At the same time the links 1' swing, and the lower edge of the back swings across over the seat.

The chair or settee can now be folded downwardly, the back and seat being held near each other, the back lapping over the seat, and both being in line with the arms f, or nearly so.

By this improvement I am able to fold the settee more conveniently, because the back and bottom remain connected to each other, and the points on which they swing are at the ends of the arm'pieces, and hence they move with those arm-pieces in folding or unfolding the X-legs of the chair.

The seat may be pivoted to the back rail, 75, instead of the front rail, h, and the hooks Z applied at the under side of the front of the seat.

I claim as my invention- 1. The seat n, pivoted at its front portion, the back '12, pivoted at 0, and the links r connectin g the seat and back, in combination with the folding X-legs a b and arms f, substantially as set forth.

2. The )(-legs a b and seat a, united by the cross-piece h at the front of the seat, and the hooks Z, at the rear portion, in combinanation with the back 1;, arms f, braces m, and links r, substantially as set forth.

3. The arm-pieces n, at the upper ends of the braces m, in combination with the arms f, Signed by me this 30th day of April, A. D. X-legs a I), seat, and back, substantially as 1879. set forth. 4. The combination, with the folding X- 5 legs, arms f, back v, and seat at, of the links 1', connecting the back with the back part of the seat, substantially as set forth.

JOHN E. WAKEFIELD.

Witnesses:

G. W. OHAMBERLIN, FRDK. J. BARNARD. 

